There is one phrase that will never appear in the coaching vocabulary of Dario Vidosic: low block. That strategy is regularly used by other Women’s Super League clubs outside the division’s traditional top four to compete against tougher opposition, but not at Brighton. Brighton strictly press.
On a visit to the club’s state-of-the-art AMEX training facility this week, where no corner of the building was off limits, it’s easy to see Vidosic’s philosophy in action. Brighton live and breathe by the principles of the press – that is to do everything with coordinated control and purpose.
Even the way the building meanders from chill out area with pool table and beanbag chairs to the more serious end, with a gym that overlooks immaculate training pitches is intentional. It has logical flow, the vision spelt out clearly on the wall: “To be a top four club in the WSL”.
This Sunday poses the ultimate stress test of that ambition as Brighton host defending champions Chelsea, live on Sky Sports. Vidosic’s mantra is this: “I’ll play anyone, anywhere, at any time,” such is his belief in the culture and competitiveness Brighton have created since he joined 18 months ago.
Sunday 14th December 11:00am
Kick off 11:55am
Indeed, Vidosic’s Brighton have scored more goals against Sonia Bompastor’s Chelsea (four) than any other team have managed in that same period. Being aggressive and front-footed is where the plan starts and the rest is built around “feeling the moment”.
Sat in his office, surrounded by tactics boards from wall-to-wall, it’s impossible to overlook how much work goes into each master plan.
And yet Vidosic does not like rigid structure. “You have to observe and be adaptable,” he says, “The standards guide me, but I tend not to plan too far ahead. Pre-match talks I won’t plan, it’s a feeling. I know what I’m going to say before games and at half-time, but not how it will be delivered. I’m not reading quotes as an actor. There’s enough work to be done without trying to be someone you are not. You have to feel the moment and try to capture it.”
For the first time since November 2021 under Hope Powell, Brighton have the chance to land a run of three successive WSL wins this weekend – and home is where they perform best.
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Highlights from Brighton’s 1-0 victory over London City
Only Arsenal (36) and Man City (29) have scored more goals on home turf than Brighton in 2025 (20). Leading scorer Kiko Seike has scored five in as many appearances, while Madison Haley is also starting to make her mark with important goal contributions in recent wins over Leicester and London City.
A decent starting point, then.
Why culture is king
When Visodic arrived on the south coast in 2024 he became Brighton’s fourth permanent head coach in less than two rather chaotic years, and the sixth person to take charge of the team in that time. The club were crying out for stability. They seem to have found it.
Visodic’s touches are all over the space he shares with his technical staff, installing an ultra-modern coffee machine because all the best ideas are borne out of “coffee chats”, and a Subbuteo-style tactics table because strategy is best visualised.
“I’m very hands-on,” he explains. “There is no worse feeling than a player trying to showcase what they can do and the coach isn’t on the training field, I never want my players to feel like it’s a ‘nothing session’. I never want to miss anything, even during the international break where we’ve got three players training. I always want to be present.”
When players fly back to their native countries, as Columbian left-back Manuela Vanegas did over the most recent international window, Visodic encourages them to return with a token of home. On this occasion it happened to be Columbian coffee beans. Before that, it was lollipops.
Even the kit room is dressed with shirts of special significance, including Jelena Cankovic’s League Cup final top when playing for Chelsea – although there’s still a wait on for Fran Kirby’s to appear.
Brighton’s environment is elite without being elitist. It’s a particular point of pride for the boss, who believes strongly in creating shared experiences that tap into each player’s individuality. “Last season the girls were telling me how much they wanted to come back in after the winter break, and for me that’s better than a win. It’s dark, it’s cold, it’s hard work, but they want to be back in our environment, and that’s like a trophy.
“I’m always myself whether I need to talk to players seriously or have a laugh or joke. I don’t mind being the centre of the joke if I get something wrong, it’s important we have an environment where we’re all ourselves. The players are the stars, I don’t think anyone pays to come and watch managers waving their arms around – I’m only there to help.”
Style changes to suit Brighton brand
It was over a casual lunch that Vidosic explained his distaste for the low block, preferring always to coach a “low press” if the situation dictates. The data offers a better grasp of what that progressive approach means in practice.
By most attacking metrics Brighton tend to keep pace with the top four. They have scored 14 goals this term, just two fewer than Chelsea, and 12 of those from open play, one less than Chelsea’s 13.
Their action zones are far more heavily weighted to offensive areas than they once were, particularly noticeable in the final third where entries were up by 17 per cent last season on the year before. Box entries have increased by nearly 50 per cent. Simply, it’s a braver, riskier way of attacking games – akin to how Fabian Hurzeler’s side play.
Brighton are the team producing numbers closest to the top four for touches in the opposition box this term (267) and xG threat (14.8). They complete a higher-than-average proportion of final-third passes and have played the second-most through balls (15), only trailing Manchester City in that category. Vidosic is committed to this style no matter the opponent.
“We want top four, but I want to win. I don’t mind putting my neck on the chopping board to say we want to be champions,” he tells me. “You’ll never catch me saying: ‘If we nick a draw we’ll be happy’. We play to win and that’s the mindset we have. It’s only impossible when it’s not mathematically possible.”
For Brighton to press so aggressively, it has to be coordinated, the detail of which Vidosic will happily obsess over. “With Chelsea I’ll have millions of different scenarios. I’ll play the game six or seven times over in my head and then an idea will just feel right.”
Can Brighton compete with the best?
Brighton have lost all four games against the current top five so far this season. It seems to be their Achilles heel.
But a glance at their goal difference column (+4) – the most obvious indicator of the validity of league position – will tell you that they haven’t been far off in matches they have lost. The margin of defeat has never been greater than one goal, in fact.
Perhaps for a coach so orientated towards winning, that reality is even more frustrating. “We can only introduce so much change in one year, we have a lot of young players and experiences are the best way for them to learn. There are heart-in-throat moments but you need those, we want to be aggressive, we want to play.
“Against Man City we’re winning 1-0, we have the result in our hands and then we allowed it to spook us, so we need to learn to handle games better and control emotions – almost disregard the scoreboard and the time and just play.”
Transfer window plans
Vidosic is adamant his personal ambition is matched by that of a club seemingly on the rise, revealing “a few calls” have already taken place in anticipation of the January transfer window opening in a few weeks. A replacement for England ace Michelle Agyemang, stricken by injury, is top of the wish list.
Asked where he feels he needs to strengthen most, he says: “We need some numbers in the middle of the park and up front, we’re a bit thin. We lost Michelle, a player who arrived here full of ambition and confidence after the summer with England.
“With Tony Bloom we have the data model of recruitment so we’re trying to get the right players to try to fit the brand of football we want to play. We’re making good steps and will be active in January to try to bring a couple in. The club knows we want two in every position, natural competition helps so much.”
Has the endgame changed?
Brighton will not be defined by the outcome of Sunday’s meeting with Chelsea, but should use it as an aspirational barometer. They haven’t beaten the Blues since 2021 and have suffered enough injuries recently to suggest this next encounter is going to be equally testing.
It’s clear they are in good hands, though, with a positive trajectory and a leader that sees beyond limits. The club outlined their plans to break into the WSL’s top four prior to Vidosic’s arrival in 2022 and are yet to meet such target. That is surely the next big milestone.
During his first press conference Vidosic told reporters he believes “every team should aim to be champion” – a year and a half into his tenure, that hasn’t changed. Sunday will offer a glimpse of how realistic, or not, that dream actually is.
Watch Brighton vs Chelsea live on Sky Sports Football on Sunday from 11am; kick-off 11.55am
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
